All Shook Up
by irisis
Summary: Shortly after Nell inadvertently discovers one of Callen's best kept secrets they must go undercover together in order to recover highly classified information. Tension, confusion and unexpected happenings follow. Friendship, with hints of something more.
1. Prologue

My entry for the **#NCISLAFicChallenge**! Over the next few weeks seven chapters and an Epilogue will follow.

Callen and Nell go undercover together for the first time to recvoer highly classified stolen material. Also featuring plenty of Densi, Sam, Eric and Hetty. In order to follow the story you will need a **basic** knowledge of the original Star Wars movies.

* * *

The man dressed as Han Solo was tied to a Styrofoam replica of the Captain's chair from Star Trek: The Original Series by way of thin white cord. He was slowly regaining consciousness under the unyielding midday Nevada sun.

His cell phone began to ring, abruptly ending the silence. Eyes still closed, he twisted his body to the left and was able to partially free his right arm and remove the phone from his trouser pocket.

"Where the hell are you, G?"

Good question. Callen warily surveyed his surroundings. Desert for as far as the naked eye could see. No manmade structures.

"I have no idea."

"Hang tight, Eric is trying to establish your exact location now. You both okay?"

Callen, dazed, was still assessing the situation. "I can't see Nell." He began the process of freeing his other arm. "Where's the blaster rifle?"

Small hands firmly gripped his shoulders. He dropped the phone in surprise.

A calm, feminine voice commanded him to stay still and he held his breath as Princess Leia crouched and intently examined something below the chair. She swore under her breath and picked up the phone.

"Sam, it's Nell. Callen's tied to a chair with an explosive device underneath."

Callen's eyes widened as he met Nell's stare. He could hear Sam's muffled voice relaying instructions, and licked his lips anxiously.

Her gaze still coupled with Callen's, Nell slowly sank to her knees, and for the first time Callen noticed how much dirt streaked the white, clinging dress.


	2. Chapter 1

_28 __hours __earlier_

* * *

Nell arrived at the OSP thirty minutes earlier than her official start time - two hours later than was usual for her. She was halfway up the stairs to the upper level when Sam, Callen and Kensi entered the bullpen together. She quickened her pace but froze when she heard Kensi's voice.

"Morning, Nell!"

Nell turned to face them and endured their collective scrutiny. She wasn't able to hide the caution in her voice. "Hey, guys."

"Where did you disappear to on Saturday night?" Kensi asked; she was sat behind her desk and holding a chocolate covered doughnut_._ Not for the first time Nell found herself envious of the insatiable appetite which had no visible impact on the swimsuit model figure and flawless skin.

The thought was quickly replaced by memories from the alcohol fueled evening in question.

She had demanded a hug from Sam after her third cocktail. He had complied good naturedly and said it was good to see her enjoying herself.

After her fourth cocktail, a mojito she recalled, she had agreed to sing karaoke with Kensi. She couldn't remember their song of choice but given that she'd found herself humming the tune from _Here __I __Go __Again _more than once since she could make an educated guess.

Cocktail number five had been a cosmopolitan. She'd drank less than half before Deeks had pulled her clumsily to her feet and ushered her to the dance floor. With hindsight she highly doubted that their moves had been as impressive as they'd seemed at the time. In fact she could clearly remember Kensi and Sam pointing and laughing in their direction. Shortly afterwards she had shared a pizza with Eric sat on the curb opposite the club. And then...

And then she had been very inconsiderate and downright reckless which was very unusual for her. Except for when she was drunk on her birthday, evidently.

She couldn't read Callen's expression and he seemed to be trying to avoid her gaze. The awkward silence was broken by a loud whoop from Deeks .

"You guys are much more fun when liquor is involved. Especially you, Nell."" He sat on the edge of Kensi's desk and took the doughnut from her. "Don't give me that look, you know you'll thank me later."

Before Kensi had a chance to respond a sharp whistle sounded from above.

"I'm afraid breakfast will have to wait, Mr Deeks," Hetty said in typically abrupt fashion with a nod to the chocolate doughnut. "Duty calls."

The five filed into ops silently, their attention fixed on the giant display screen which was currently displaying information on a naval base, one that very few people – and certainly not the general public - knew existed.

Nell took her seat next to Eric feeling very off-kilter. As an Intelligence Analyst it was her job to have all the answers but right now all she could do was listen in silence as Eric and Hetty informed the group of the theft of sensitive information from the base. As the information had been copied onto a USB stick from a shared console inside one of the most secure facilities in the country it had almost certainly been an inside job.

"What kind of information are we talking about?" Kensi asked.

Hetty paused before answering. "Research pertaining to the Strategic Defence Initiative."

"The media dubbed 'Star Wars' defence project?" Nell asked. "But that organization was disbanded _years_ ago. Its aims were completely unfeasible-"

"Maybe not," interrupted Callen.

Hetty was obviously determined not to be drawn on the subject. She ignored Callen's remark and addressed her response to the group as a whole. "If this information were to fall into the wrong hands the results could be disastrous on an unprecedented scale. I want all four agents on en route to the base immediately."

As Sam, Kensi and Deeks left to prepare Callen rested his weight against the back of Nell's chair. He wanted to speak without being overheard by Hetty, as unlikely as that was. "Find out everything you can," he cast a quick look at Hetty's retreating back, "including what it is Hetty doesn't want us to know."


	3. Chapter 2

It was Sam's turn to drive and he was struggling to hear the directions from the Sat Nav over the sound of Kensi and Deeks bickering from the backseat. He exchanged a glance with Callen, who shook his head very slightly. _Leave them to it_.

"What's with the face?"

"You stole my breakfast."

"Aw, come _on_. Breakfast, that's what you call that? It was a circular shaped heart attack with a topping of diabetes."

"Wait just a minute. I can't believe I'm getting a lecture on healthy eating from you of all people. I know dogs who eat better than you do. And smell better, too, since we're on the subject."

"It's true, I do take wonderful care of Monty. It's actually very sweet of you to notice."

"You're quiet today," Sam said to Callen over Kensi's dry laughter.

Callen turned in his seat and fixed Kensi and Deeks with an icy stare. "You kids had better quieten down back there or so help me, I will tell your father to turn this car around and there will be no ice cream for anyone."

The car left the Interstate and reduced speed as it joined rush hour traffic. Resting both hands on the steering wheel, Sam tried a more direct approach. "G, is there something I should know?"

"Sam, give it a rest."

"Trouble in paradise?" Deeks asked, leaning forward in his seat. "Listen, don't beat yourselves up, no marriage is perfect."

Kensi's eyes widened. "You guys aren't getting a divorce, are you?"

"Yes, we're getting a divorce," Callen answered distractedly as Sam made the final turn of their short journey. "I'm giving him full custody."

To outside appearances the base was nothing more than a slightly drab commercial warehouse, but even had he not known better the security guard was too well armed and disciplined to be a civilian to Callen's trained eyes. After showing their ID they were permitted through the checkpoint and parked directly outside what seemed to be the main entrance. They were ushered inside the small, red brick building by a stern looking young woman dressed all in black. Also military, Callen would guess. She led them through a sparely furnished, dated reception area at a brisk pace to a concealed elevator.

The elevator was conspicuously clean and smelled strongly of bleach. There was only one button.

"Guess we're going down," Callen remarked dryly and pressed the button. The doors silently slid closed a moment after they began their decent. Their destination was revealed as a futuristic looking white corridor, the artificial light slightly brighter than was comfortable.

Sam was feeling off guard. "The hell is this place?"

"My guess would be the starship Enterprise," Deeks responded flippantly. He joined the others in examining the map displayed on the wall to their left. If accurate, the underground compound was actually very small for it showed only two laboratories, two meeting rooms, restrooms and a cafeteria. He looked away and realised that Callen was staring at him blankly. "The Enterprise," Deeks repeated uneasily, "you know, from Star-"

"He doesn't watch TV," Sam interrupted with a smirk.

"You're kidding, right?" Deeks asked, incredulous. "Come on, every kid has watched Star Trek at least once." He realised his mistake as soon as the words had left his mouth. Kensi elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"You take the left," Callen instructed Kensi, and by unspoken assumption, Deeks. "Sam and I have the right."

"How do you want to play this?" Kensi asked quietly.

Callen was silent for a moment before answering with uncharacteristic blunt honesty. "I have no idea."

As Sam followed him down the corridor he allowed himself a few moments of worry about his partner. It wasn't just his odd behaviour today, or even this week, that unsettled him - Callen had gradually been unravelling for some time now, and Sam had a sick feeling of dread that he was on an inevitable collision course with career ending disaster. Given the uncertainty that clouded his past and his true identity, Callen liked to be in complete control of every other aspect of his life. He was clean and tidy to the point of obsession. A minimalist. His romantic relationships (with one or two notable, disastrous examples -why did he only allow himself to grow close to women when he was pretending to be someone else?) - were short and almost clinical in nature. What was it that had him so unsettled? Sam strongly suspected it was a growing disillusionment with the job but all he knew for sure was that Callen was sleeping even worse than usual, was becoming sluggish, and worse of all, was slowly beginning to distance himself from the rest of the team.

And there had been times recently, at the shooting range, when he could tell Callen was blasting holes in more than just cardboard targets.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He flipped open the cover and read the message from Eric.

"G, wait up - we have a name."


	4. Chapter 3

Kensi and Deeks entered the dimly lit lab with a degree of trepidation. It was occupied by only one person - a tall, slender man in his late thirties who was staring intently at a computer monitor. He was slumped forwards in his seat, the screen less than a hand span away from his nose.

"Sure doesn't look like any naval base I've ever seen," Deeks remarked sardonically.

"Shut up and let me do the talking," Kensi replied in a low, warning tone. She coughed loudly when the man failed to acknowledge their presence. At the sound he jumped guiltily to his feet and stared at them in open astonishment; Kensi noticed for the first time that his chair was an almost perfect replica of the Captain's chair from Star Trek: The Original Series. She couldn't resist - she stole a quick look at Deeks who mouthed the words _told you so_.

"Are you lost?" The man asked. From his tone it was clear that he received very few, if any, visitors.

Kensi held up her warrant card for inspection before quickly tucking it away in the back pocket of her jeans. "I'm with NCIS. This is my partner Marty Deeks, LAPD - we're here to investigate the data theft. And you must be Doctor..?"

"Dr Jackson." He was evidently very pleased by the fact Kensi had guessed his title correctly, but his smile didn't last for long. From his fidgeting it was fairly obvious that he was feeling uncomfortable in their presence. "I'm surprised you were dispatched so quickly. The information that was taken was inconsequential - why is this being treated as a high priority?"

"When it comes to national security there is no other level of priority, Dr Jackson," Kensi replied, a slight edge to her voice. "We need to ask you some questions."

"Of course. I didn't mean any offence." He leaned against one of the large chair arms and regarded them warily, as if seeing them for the first time. "As I'm sure you'll understand there are aspects of our work here I'm not allowed to talk about. But I'll certainly cooperate with your investigation as fully as I can."

"Glad to hear it," Deeks said, ignoring the withering look Kensi gave him.

Dr Jackson took a few steps towards the rear door. "I hope you don't mind, but I have an experiment running down the hall which will need to be put on hold until after we're done."

Kensi smiled encouragingly. "Take your time."

As soon as the door closed behind him Kensi speed dialled Callen's number and spoke quietly into the receiver. "Callen - the guy Eric said the cyber trail led to? He's just used a lousy excuse to give us the slip." She didn't state the obvious: _if he tries to leave, we have due cause to take him in_.

As she slipped the phone back in her front pocket Deeks sat down heavily in the Captain's chair. "I don't get it. He's clearly not stupid - why didn't he hide his tracks more carefully? Smells like a set-up to me."

She positioned her mouth centimetres from his ear and said with playful emphasis: "In that case, we'd better set our phasers to stun."

* * *

Nell and Eric sat side by side in companionable silence as they waited for the results of a number of searches and information requests. Just as the first answers began to trickle in, Eric cleared his throat and spoke.

"So when are you going to tell me what you and Callen were arguing about on Saturday night?"

Nell pulled away from him as if physically stung by the words but kept her eyes on her monitor and fingers on the keyboard. "You heard us?"

Eric shook his head slightly, his attention also never leaving his monitor. "Only enough to know that you did something to seriously tick him off." His concerned expression melted into one of amusement. "Ah, just as we thought - our friend Dr Jackson is in _a lot _of debt. Wait; that's strange. Most of it seems to stem from incredibly high phone bills."

Nell raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps he's a good boy who calls his mom a lot?"

Eric chucked. "Not unless her name is Madame Whiplash."

Her mouth briefly formed an O as she digested the information. "So, looks like we have a classic set-up on our hands - desperate man is offered money in exchange for classified material." She selected Callen's name from her cell phone contact list.

"So?"

She turned to face him. "So..?"

"You and Callen. At least tell me who started it."

Nell didn't hear him - she was staring at her phone with a frown. She selected another name. "Sam, is Callen with you?"

* * *

Sam, Kensi and Deeks left the building at a dead run. They stopped as soon as they spotted Callen leaning against the hood of the car.

"Where's Dr Jackson?" Sam asked hotly, checking the backseat of the car. Empty.

Callen couldn't meet his eye. "He got away."

It took Sam every shred of self control he had not to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. With gratitude he saw that Kensi and Deeks were discreetly stepping away to give them some privacy. He took a deep breath and stood directly in front of his partner.

"G, Kensi said the guy couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. How did you lose him?"

Callen was making eye contact now, but he wasn't answering. He was short of breath, and his hands were trembling. The sight of Callen looking helpless chilled Sam to the bones.

* * *

_Author's note: Thank you to everyone who is still reading, especially those of you who left reviews and/or set a Story Alert/ Favourite! It's pretty much solid Nell/ Callen from here on in. :)_


	5. Chapter 4

_Apologies for the unintended hiatus - I moved house shortly after posting Chapter 3 and only managed to unpack my computer yesterday evening. Updates will now be every few days as before. Thank you for all the reviews and author/story alerts. :)_

_Finally, since it's now a FAQ: this story is Nell/Callen friendship, not romance - well, mostly._

* * *

Kensi sipped her drink and immediately wrinkled her nose. "Excuse me, waitress? This is not what I ordered."

"I'm still worried about your blood sugar levels, so I got you a Detox Delight instead of your usual Chocolate Decadence. No need to thank me."

Sam watched Deeks and Kensi continue to banter back and forth in silence, his mind clearly elsewhere. Nell and Eric, engrossed in a tattered notebook and laptop screen respectively, didn't raise their eyes.

"Have you spoken to Callen yet?" Kensi asked Sam, swapping her drink with Eric's. Her tone was casual; perhaps overly so.

Sam cleared his throat. "He's with Hetty," he answered carefully. The two exchanged a long look.

"Are we still not talking about the fact he royally screw up this afternoon?" Deeks asked with mock innocence. To his surprise no admonishment was forthcoming from Sam. And stranger still, Nell knocked over her teacup.

* * *

Hetty sat behind her desk in silence as her lead agent took his seat.

"What happened out there?" she asked without preamble. The abruptness of her opening line was intended to put him off guard, and it worked. For a few awkward seconds Callen squirmed in his seat whilst framing his answer.

"I can't tell you. Not yet. Let me finish this case first and then we'll talk." he said earnestly, leaning forward in his seat.

Hetty let out an exasperated sigh. "Agent Callen, you and I both know that isn't the way this works."

"I'm asking you to trust me," he said quietly. Hetty considered his words for a moment, and slowly rose to her feet.

"Well, it is your first slip up in over fifteen years," she remarked dryly. "That earns you two days grace, after which I'm placing you on leave for two weeks and scheduling a full medical on your return - including a full psychological evaluation." When he began to protest, she cut him off with a swift hand gesture. "The terms of the deal are non-negotiable, Agent Callen. What's your pleasure?"

* * *

"Given the size of the data he probably has it stored on a portable hard drive," said Eric as Callen joined the group in the Bullpen. At a nod from Callen he continued. "In any case, I can't find any evidence of him sending the information electronically."

"From what we know he's highly unlikely to have any use for the information himself," mused Kensi, "not unless he's very cleverly hidden the funds for a missile defence system offshore. Which means there's an exchange imminent; is he planning on doing it in person?"

"His notes say so," Sam said, holding up the notebook he had taken from Nell for Callen's benefit. "He either noted down false information in an attempt to mislead us, or he's an amateur in way over his head. Says right here the exchange is taking place tomorrow at noon, but the location is in some sort of code."

Nell raised an eyebrow and with a feeling of slight irritation Callen wondered when she had started to copy his facial habit. "Let me have it," she said to Sam, pen and paper already to hand.

"4A 11D E-11; Jabba's Hutt." Sam read out carefully.

"Jabba the Hut is a character from Star Wars, right?" Deeks asked. "He has a penchant for gold bikinis, if I'm not mistaken."

"Deeks, you're a genius." Nell said, her mouth moving into a slow smile.

"He is?" Sam asked doubtfully.

"I know where the exchange is taking place," Nell continued, speaking only to Callen now. "And if you want to retrieve it successfully, you're going to need me in the field."

Callen met her gaze. "Out of the question - I don't want you getting hurt." It was an old line, one he had used to prevent her taking a more active role in operations many times now. Only this time it was said with much less conviction.

Sam stood beside his partner. "We did say we should to get her out of the office more often, G," he said. Deeks nodded in agreement.

Callen's gaze hadn't left her face. Nell realised with a start that he was already summing up his verdict, and that nothing she could say would change his mind. What had passed between them on her birthday wasn't going to win her any special treatment; she expected nothing less from him.


	6. Chapter 5

"I feel ridiculous."

"Another half inch needs to go from the length of those pants," Sam said sceptically, giving Callen's costume a final once over. Blank fitted pants, boots, white v neck polo shirt and short, unbuttoned dark waistcoat. Around his waist was a chunky brown belt.

Eric gave him a thumbs up. "For what it's worth, I think you look great. Especially given the man - no, the _legend_ - you're living up to."

"Are you calling me short, Eric?" Callen asked playfully as Sam made the necessary adjustments to the pants.

"No," Eric stuttered. "I'm calling Harrison Ford tall."

"Relax, Eric," Sam said, working quickly. "He's joking. Get a move on, Nell - the clock is ticking."

"One second," came Nell's muffled response from behind the curtain strung across the far corner of the white room. A moment later it was pulled aside revealing her long, stark white dress. She tugged uncomfortably at the polo neck as Kensi carefully lifted the long hood over her chestnut coloured wig. Callen raised an eyebrow at the sight and with confusion Nell wondered when he had first begun to copy her facial habit.

"Dammit, I was hoping for the gold bikini," Deeks complained, handing a stack of makeup to his partner.

Kensi chose to ignore the comment. "You nervous?" she asked Nell, applying some blusher to the other woman's cheekbones.

"Yes."

"Smart girl," Sam commented.

Callen glanced at his team one by one. When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he spoke. "We stick to Nell's plan and not only will we retrieve the data but we'll also have the people behind this in custody.."

"Unless the information in Jackson's notebook is all a crock of shit," Sam said dryly.

Callen put a hand on his shoulder. "It's like you said yourself, Sam; he's a desperate, naive man in way over his head. I'd be willing to bet he actually believes the data he stole is low grade stuff."

Fifteen minutes later Callen and Nell were ushered through a series of staff only corridors and, finally, through a set of double doors and into the main convention area. They were in character by the time the doors had closed.

* * *

_The previous Sunday_

It was 4am and Los Angeles was beginning to wind down. A guy and a girl sat on the curb outside a steadily emptying nightclub eating pizza straight from the box. She was wearing a sash with the words 'birthday girl' printed in pink across the front. They were both the worse for wear for drink.

"We should start looking for a cab," Eric said, his words slightly slurred.

"So soon? Where did everybody go?"

"Sam drove Kensi and Deeks home about thirty minutes ago." His brow furrowed. "Wasn't Callen meant to be our designated driver?"

For some reason this struck them as ridiculously funny and they dissolved into giggles. A group of passers-by gave them the once over and stopped suddenly - acquaintances of Eric, on their way to a party.

As Nell was introduced to five new faces she spotted Callen on the other side of the road, in a parking lot. He was alone.

"I see him!" She got to her feet with some effort, straightened her sash and began to cross the road.

Eric watched her go with a somewhat forlorn expression. "Give me a text when you get home safe," he called after her.

Callen. Nell called his name as she neared the car park. Silence, and she could no longer see him.

She called his name again, walked a few more steps. Still no reply. Now was the time to call Eric.

With a speed of movement which took her breath away Callen's hand gripped hers and pulled her securely against him, her back to his chest. Her reflexes numbed by drink, it took her a few seconds to draw breath to cry out, and when she did his hand clamped tightly over her mouth.

His voice sounded raspy, his breath hot against her ear. "Move a muscle and I'll break your neck."

She closed her eyes, willing her sluggish brain to recall her basic self defence training. She was however thankful that the alcohol was helping to hold panic at bay. The hand over her mouth began to relax.

"Who do you work for?"

Nell let loose a short, throaty laugh - she couldn't help it. This had to be Callen's twisted idea of a birthday prank.

"Enough, Callen; you're hurting me."

He released her, roughly turned her around and took a step backwards. Although his body language gave nothing away his eyes betrayed his confusion and fear. "How do you-?" Those eyes, brightest blue, appeared to cloud over for a moment and then focused on her intently. His shoulders sagged and the fear melted away, leaving only confusion. "Birthday girl. Nell." She could barely hear the quietly spoken words over the rasping of her breath.

She leaned back against a car. The adrenaline was beginning to leave her veins, leaving just alcohol.

He took a step towards her, stopped when he saw her flinch. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No." He visibly relaxed. "What the hell just happened, Callen?"

He crossed his arms defensively. "You snuck up on me, that's what happened." His voice rose in volume and was shot through with anger. "I could have seriously hurt you - for the love of God, Nell,_ I have a license to kill_. I thought you were meant to be smart?"

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed away from the car. They were only centimetres apart now and perhaps it was just the drink but she wasn't going to let him bullshit her like this. "Smart enough to know when you're lying."


	7. Chapter 6

_The previous Sunday, contd_

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed away from the car. They were only centimetres apart now and perhaps it was just the drink but she wasn't going to let him bullshit her like this. "Smart enough to know when you're lying."

Callen's face became emotionless and drained of colour. He took a breath as if to reply but she continued before he had the chance.

"It's written in your eyes," Nell said, tilting her head to one side. The movement made her nauseous. "You're always on the edge of exhaustion. Haunted by the things they made you do to protect your country."

"You've had way more to drink than I realised, Nell - time to go home," His spoke as if chastising a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, fuelling her fury and spurring her on.

"Have you had your PTSD formally diagnosed?" She wasn't enjoying this despite how light hearted her voice sounded, not in the slightest. "How long have you been having flashbacks?"

He was having trouble keeping his breathing even and felt a familiar thread of adrenaline begin to snake around his body. He had an impulsive urge to smash her head through the windscreen of the car or to kiss her pressed up against it, anything to shut her up. The only outward evidence of this was the curling of his hands into loose fists.

"What do you see when it happens, Callen? Russia? Serbia? Or some other hell hole?"

"Nell." It had meant to sound like a warning but became a plea.

She took a step backwards. "You need to inform Hetty," she said. "You said it yourself: you're dangerous. You're armed. What if-"

"I'm not going to shoot a suspect," Callen cut in. He thought quickly. She'd obviously been closely analysing him and his behaviour for some time now - why? Did Hetty already have her suspicions and ask it of her? "Have you spoken to anyone else about this?"

She shook her head and covered her mouth, yawned. It would be getting light soon.

"I need this to be kept between us for now," he said. She began to protest and he closed the space between them and placed a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. And so she had looked into his bloodshot and anxious looking eyes and made the first mistake of her career - she gave him her word.

* * *

Stan, proud owner of portable snack bar Jabba's Hut, was taking advantage of a lull in trade to people watch. It was his first time at this particular convention - and come to think of it, only his second time in Las Vegas - and he wanted to soak in some of the atmosphere. Most guests were lined up outside the nearby auditorium where a very well known Star Trek actor would soon be conducting a question and answer. An Elvis impersonator was keeping them entertained with a mediocre rendition of _All Shook Up_.

At least half of the attendees were in costume, with _The Avengers_ inspired creations appearing to be the most popular. That said, there were a sizeable number of people dressed old school such as the couple opposite who had come as Han Solo and Princess Leia. He watched curiously as they posed for a photograph with a group of children who were dressed as Padawan learners.

After the camera flash and a moment of small talk they were alone again. The woman - petite, and very self-assured - said something to her companion in a whisper. Something about the pair bothered Stan; now that he gave the matter some thought, he had caught sight of them more than once this afternoon. Why had they been poking around this corner of the convention hall so thoroughly and why did the man look so uncomfortable?

Stan began to prepare some more Wookiee Burgers (always a best seller) and did his best to listen in on their conversation.

"You have a problem with geeks, don't you?" Leia asked Han - her tone was mostly playful but there was an unmistakable bite to her words.

"I just don't get it. The dressing up, playing pretend I mean."

"You're kidding, right?" Leia asked indignantly. "Pretending to be someone else is all you do."

Han conceded the point with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "That's different." He waved to a young woman dressed in a cat suit who winked in return. Leia merely rolled her eyes.

Stan flipped the burgers, mentally reminded himself to add more chilli to the next batch and took another good look at them. If they weren't regular convention goers, who were they? They were now browsing the replica weapon stand opposite with intent interest. Leia picked up a replica E-11 blaster rifle (4 rows across, 11 rows down - Stan had given some thought to buying one himself before the week was over) and were immediately engaged in conversation with the stand's owner - Darth Vader.

"Two Droid Shakes, please." He served his customer as quickly as possible, giving her too much change in the process, and when he tried to find Leia and Han again he saw that they were surrounded by at least seven Stormtroopers and engaged in a very heated argument. A Stormtrooper grabbed the blaster rifle from Leia, Han made a show of groping for it and hit the Stormtrooper square in the white face helmet instead.

Stan immediately took out his cell phone and called the convention's head organiser.

"You sly dog, Larry!"

The blaster rifle hit the floor a second before the Stormtrooper did, skidded and came to rest. Leia and a second Stormtrooper eyed each other warily for a moment before both lunging for it.

"Don't play dumb with me. What made you change your mind? You know what, nevermind - what I really want to know if where you got the actors from. I _knew_ there was something familiar about them. Don't I know the guy from a McDonald's commercial?"

Leia reached the blaster rifle first, got a firm grip and turned to make a run for it. A wall of Stormtroopers blocked her path and she looked to Han for guidance. By now the spectacle was attracting a fair amount of attention from the queue near the auditorium.

"What?" A pause. "I'm talking about the Star Wars stunt you organised. I think you made the right decision, for what it's worth. And if you're serious about wanting to compete with the likes of Comic Con, you'll want to do a lot more - this is exactly the kind of thing that's going to get people talking on Youtube, Twitter, that kind of thing."

Han pulled himself up onto an empty card table, reached down and pulled Leia up beside him. A faint cheer peppered with nervous laughter sounded from the watching crowd which intensified as Leia aimed her weapon at the nearest Stormtrooper. A she began to squeeze the trigger she was pushed from behind by Darth Vader and fell into the arms of her former target.

"Wait, Larry; are you sure? This wasn't you? Okay, okay, no need to yell. Of course you're sure." Stan leaned further forward on his counter. "Oh shit, then what the hell is going on down here?"

Leia was hit on the head from behind with a lightsaber handle and went limp. Darth Vader extracted the rifle from her hand, outstretched his arm in the direction of Han and a crackle of light and energy burst forth. Han shook violently for a few seconds and was rendered unconscious. To the sounds of applause Leia and Han were carried from the hall by Stormtroopers, Vader bringing up the rear. He stopped briefly to pose for a photograph with a middle aged man dressed as a Hobbit and then was gone.


	8. Chapter 7

The road beneath the truck grew more uneven and gradually roused Nell from the dizzying reaches of her unconscious mind. There was a sharp, throbbing pain at the base of her skull and a dull ache in her arms; some experimental wriggling confirmed that her wrists were bound behind her back. With difficulty she pulled herself up into a kneeling position and beat back mounting panic as her eyes adjusted to the gloom and made out the five figures dressed as Stormtroopers who shared her space.

The blaster rifle, and the stolen information it contained, was no where in sight.

Tyres squealed in protest as the truck came to a sudden halt, followed quickly by the sound of male voices from outside. The rear door opened slowly and silently and the sudden bright light of the desert momentarily blinded her. In one fluid movement she was hauled to her feet by one of her captors, led into the light and down into the dirt. She blacked out for a moment and her next memory was of lying face down and choking on dust. The pain in her head intensified and she dry retched.

"Secure him to the chair."

The man dressed as Darth Vader had spoken, and two 'Stormtroopers' quickly obeyed his order. They lifted an unconscious Callen into a large, styrofoam chair and began to tie his arms with white cord. Nell could faintly hear the remainder of their number securing the truck and preparing to leave. Once satisfied that Callen was restrained one of the figures produced a small handgun and began to fit a silencer. For the next three and a half seconds Nell knew true, paralysing fear and let out a shrill sob.

But then: "No;" the man dressed as Darth Vader said sternly, "we're not going to shoot two federal agents." His fingers reached under Nell's chin and pulled her face up to meet his eyes; the muscles in her neck clenched painfully in protest. When Nell merely met his gaze and remained silent he chuckled under his breath and let her head drop back to the ground.

"We have what we came for. Time to go."

A moment before the sound of doors opening and closing and an engine starting Nell felt the cord holding her wrists slacken. She waited until the truck was out of hearing range, counted to sixty, and only then did she pull the cord loose and begin to approach Callen. His ringtone broke the silence, and now that her eyes had fully adjusted to the brightness Nell noticed for the first time the small device strapped to the underside of the chair.

"I have no idea."

She gave it a closer look. Plastics. Wires.

"I can't see Nell." Pause. "Where's the blaster rifle?"

Her small hands firmly gripped his shoulders and he dropped the phone in surprise.

"Don't move." Nell crouched and intently examined the object. No doubt about it. She cursed under her breath and picked up the phone.

"Sam, it's Nell. Callen's tied to a chair with an explosive device underneath."

Callen's eyes widened, Sam let out his breath noisily and said, "Take a close look and tell me exactly what you see. And whatever you do: _don't touch anything_."

Her gaze still coupled with Callen's, Nell slowly sank to her knees and did as Sam had ordered, switching the call to speaker phone as she worked. "There are two wires, both black. They're connected to a small rectangular package with a circuit board strapped to the front."

She remained crouched as she waited for Sam's response. When it came the nausea returned three-fold.

"Find something sharp. You're going to cut through both those wires."

"Are you sure about this, Sam?" Callen asked, uncharacteristic panic in his voice.

"You know by now that bomb disposal is nothing like in the movies, G," Sam responded in, to Callen's ear, a maddeningly calm tone. Nell removed her Princess Leia hairpiece and a hairpin from within it as he spoke. "Cutting either wire will diffuse the detonator with minimal risk. And with no way of knowing how much time we have until it blows... you know as well as I do that this is the safest option."

Nell looked up at Callen, hairpin gripped tightly in hand. It took him a few seconds to realise that she was asking for his permission to proceed. Only after nodding his consent did he remember that she was risking her own life too, without hesitation nor complaint.

She didn't think, didn't concern herself with the details, focussed only on the fact that the task needed doing immediately. A second was all it took, and it was over.

Callen dropped his head back and groaned loudly in relief. Nell, full of unspent adrenaline, closed her eyes tightly and mouthed a silent thank you; to whom, she wasn't sure.

"They must have hoped the bomb would divert our attention, and that our first priority would be to send a team out to diffuse it rather than track down the data chip," Sam mused. After a slight pause he said with open admiration: "Good job, Nell."

* * *

The unmarked van began to drive erratically and was soon pulled over by local police. To their open astonishment, they found Darth Vader and a group of Stormtroopers inside. And what was even more strange was the fact they were openly brawling and continued to do so after being instructed to separate and raise their hands. The police officers found themselves with no option other than to fire a warning shot into the air.

A helmet was removed, quickly followed by another, revealing a tall brunette woman and a blonde man who barked "NCIS" and "LAPD" in unison.

The woman was holding a plastic toy weapon, which she slowly twisted in half revealing a hollow centre with what looked like a data chip inside. She let it slide out on to her companion's hand and said: "Mission complete."


	9. Epilogue

Nell removed her uncomfortable plastic, knee high boots and rested her bare legs against the armrest of the chair. Her toenails were painted hot pink.

Callen stood with his back to her, gently stretching each of his muscles in turn, only now beginning to feel like himself. He had never been shot with a taser gun before today, and it had been an intensely uncomfortable and painful experience.

They had at least twenty minutes to kill until Sam reached them and he couldn't bear the tension between them much longer.

He cleared his throat. "I'm seeing someone."

Nell was surprised to discover that she wasn't sure how that made her feel. Momentarily speechless, she began to fidget with the hair clip she still held.

Sensing her discomfort, he turned to face her. "I'm not talking about a woman. I'm talking about my... problem. My flashbacks," he corrected somewhat awkwardly. "Let me start over: I have a therapist."

"Oh." She didn't offer any more than that, except for a smile.

"Nell." He sounded tired, and confused, and something else she couldn't quite pinpoint. "Thank you for allowing me to deal with it in my own way."

She nodded in response, still not sure quite what to say. They fell into silence. He didn't congratulate her on a job well done. That could come later, back at the office.

"Nell?"

She looked up at the clear blue sky. "Agent Callen."

"I really need to get you out of the office more often."

* * *

_Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favourited and commented on All Shook Up. The story continues in Separate Ways, which will be most definitely Nallen in nature. For those of you leaving here, thank you once again._


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